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Ready, Set, Vote! Help Halifax Transit Name the New Harbour Ferry

Posted: January 14, 2015 - 12:00 am

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015 (Halifax, NS) - The Halifax Regional Municipality and Halifax Transit are asking residents to once again cast their ballots in support of one of six names proposed for the newest replacement harbour ferry, expected to go into service this summer.

Residents will have until Friday, Jan. 30, to vote online at www.halifax.ca/surveys for their favourite of the following six names proposed by Halifax residents for the new vessel:

Craig Blake: Petty Officer Second Class Craig Blake was the first Canadian sailor to be killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan. He was part of an elite navy group that specializes in neutralizing bombs - underwater and on land - based at the Fleet Diving Unit Atlantic in Halifax.

Vincent Coleman: During the events leading up to the Halifax Explosion, Mr. Coleman heroically stayed behind to warn an inbound train about the impending explosion that would take his life and that of over 2,000 other Haligonians.

Walter Fitzgerald: A 33-year educator in the Halifax region, Mr. Fitzgerald also served an illustrious career in provincial and municipal politics, including as Alderman, Deputy Mayor and Mayor of the City of Halifax, MLA and Cabinet Minister, as well as the first Mayor of the newly formed Halifax Regional Municipality.

Ruth Goldbloom: Ms. Goldbloom was a dedicated volunteer with social, religious and heritage organizations throughout the Halifax region for over 45 years, including: the Izaak Walton Killam Children’s Hospital, the Halifax United Way, Mount Saint Vincent University, Symphony Nova Scotia, and she co-founded the Pier 21 Society which eventually established the Pier 21 immigration museum.

Raymond Taavel: Mr. Taavel exemplified the practice of bridging the gap between people of different stripes; a well-known social and LGBTQ activist, the Chair of Halifax’s Gay Pride Week and editor for Wayves magazine, he was known as a kind, hard-working and generous person who was killed while trying to help another citizen.

Maxine Tynes: Ms. Tynes was a seventh-generation Nova Scotian with a family heritage dating back to the time of Black Loyalists. She used her background as inspiration in writing about the experiences of African Nova Scotians and the discrimination faced by residents of Africville, as well as composing works about gender relations, family, politics and life for people with disabilities.

Over 500 names were submitted by Halifax residents in the fall 2014, which were then reviewed and narrowed down by Halifax Transit and Corporate Communications staff based on appropriateness, originality, cultural significance and diversity. The final six names were selected from the short list by a committee comprised of Mayor Mike Savage and one member from each of the three community councils.

The name receiving the most votes will adorn the new ferry, subject to final approval by Transport Canada. The resident who submitted the winning name will receive a one-year conventional transit pass courtesy of Halifax Transit and the municipality. Stay tuned to @hfxtransit on Twitter, use the hashtag #namethatferry, or check www.halifax.ca for the announcement of the winning name in February.

This is the second of three new vessels that will replace aging infrastructure in the fleet of four harbour ferries – bringing more continuity and efficiency to Halifax Transit’s ferry services. June 2014 marked the first new vessel to be added to the Halifax Transit ferry fleet in more than 25 years. Residents voted to name the ferry “Christopher Stannix” in honour of a young soldier from Cole Harbour who was killed in 2007 while serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

The newest harbour ferry is anticipated to be in service this summer. The introduction of the third new ferry is planned for 2016 and will also include the opportunity for residents to name the vessel.